Shenzhou 15 (Chinese: 神舟十五号; pinyin: Shénzhōu Shíwǔ-hào; lit. 'Divine Boat Number 15') is a planned Chinese spaceflight to the Tiangong Space Station. It is expected to launch in November 2022, and will carry three People's Liberation Army Astronaut Corps (PLAAC) taikonauts.[1] It will be the tenth crewed flight of the Shenzhou program, and the program's fifteenth flight overall.
| Mission type | Tiangong Space Station crew transport |
|---|---|
| Operator | China Manned Space Agency |
| Mission duration | 180 days (planned) |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft | Shenzhou 15 |
| Spacecraft type | Shenzhou |
| Manufacturer | China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation |
| Crew | |
| Crew size | 3 |
| Members | TBA |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 29 November 2022 (planned) |
| Rocket | Long March 2F |
| Launch site | Jiuquan, LA-4/SLS |
| Contractor | China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology |
| End of mission | |
| Landing date | May 2023 (planned) |
| Landing site | Inner Mongolia, China |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric orbit |
| Regime | Low Earth orbit |
| Inclination | 41.5° |
| Docking with Tiangong Space Station | |
| Docking date | November 2022 (planned) |
| Undocking date | 2023 (planned) |
China Manned Space Program Shenzhou 16 → | |
The mission is expected to launch on November 26, 2022,[2] following the launch and docking of the Wentian and Mengtian modules, in July and October 2022, respectively. There is a planned ten day overlap between Shenzhou 15 and the previous Shenzhou mission, Shenzhou 14.[1][3]
The Shenzhou 15 crew is expected to carry out several spacewalks, work on payloads both inside and outside the station, and other scientific work.[3]
The Shenzhou 15 spacecraft is currently on standby for a potential rescue mission for the Shenzhou 14 crew if an issue were to arise. If needed, it could be ready for launch within nine days.[4]
The crew, which has not yet been publicly announced, will consist of three PLAAC taikonauts.
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| Commander | Second spaceflight | |
| Operator | Second spaceflight | |
| System Operator | First spaceflight | |
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← 2021 · Orbital launches in 2022 · 2023 → | |
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Launches are separated by dots ( • ), payloads by commas ( , ), multiple names for the same satellite by slashes ( / ). Cubesats are smaller. Crewed flights are underlined. Launch failures are marked with the † sign. Payloads deployed from other spacecraft are (enclosed in brackets). | |
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